Alarm fitting



Feb. 1-7, 1942. N. M. couTY 2,273,394 ALARM FITTING Filed Jan. s, 1941 INVENTOR 0r/77417 M'auz" l ATTORNEY an oil line or the like.

Pawel Pebl 17;. 1942 i Delaware application :Smau a, laisserai mi. 373,043

A' comms.4 (ci. zoo-az) lThis invention relates to alarm ilttings particuiarly adapted to indicate when a pre-deterv. mined pressure flow is not maintained through In automotive v,engines and elsewhere, itis essential to maintain oil pressure'in' the forcedV lubrication systems thereof. When theI oil filterl generally employed in forced lubrication systemsY fails to iimctionlbecause of lack of cleaning or any portion of the pressure oil system of an 1 automotiveengine or the like clogs, much damage is apt to be donel'to engine partsfrom inadequate-lubrication particularly when running at high speeds or under conditions of continuous Y operation at heavy loads'.

`Accordingly,the primary object of lthe, inventinis to provide-a simple and inexpensive method and 'means as a part of the lubrication piping interconnected coupling membersgii and I2 having longitudinal passages IIIi and I Zli respectively therethrough. a piston I3 having an orifice' I4 through the head I8 thereof fittedin a' suitable bore I B in one coupling `member II which is-.constantly urged by a compression spring I1 against a contacter I8 having a. lcentral aperture I9 therethrough disposed within a bore 20 in the other coupling member I2 and Vheld in insulated relationship to the coupling members II andi! by insulating washers 2| and 22l re spectively which serve simultaneously as a fluid seal between the externally threaded end 23.01

the coupling member Il and the internally threaded end 24 of the coupling member I2.. An

f insulated electrical lead 25 is runthrough the aperture `26 in the vcoupling member I2 land `through a suitable .aperture provided in the of an oil system ofan internal'combustion engine 4or the like fo'r causing a visual or audible alarm to apprise theope'rator thereof of the fact that the oil system is not, functioning properly before expensive damage is done to moving parts of the .said engine or the like from,lack of adequate lubrication. I

()ther objects of the invention-will become aplparent by reference tothey following detailed `description taken in. connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

- Fig. l is an exploded longitudinal sectional gew of anl alarm fitting embodyingl the invenon.

Fig-2 is' an assembledI viewvof the construction disclosed in Fig. 1.

` Iig. 3. is a longitudinal 'sectional view similar to l'ig. 2 showing an alternate embodiment of` the inventionwhich is self-cleaning and nonclogsins. Fig. 4 is an elevational view showing the con- Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line l-loifll'igA.l

Fig. 6 isl a more -or longitudinal sectional tact disc and cleaningfelement of the embodii4 ment of the invention disclosed"inl"lg. 3.

less diagrammatic plan view 1 ofl an internal combustion engine showing a pre- 45 ferred. installationv iny the pressure lubrication system thereof vofl a 'method land means embodying the invention forgiving alarm when the said lubrication system becomes clogged.

1 Referring now `to the drawing wherein like numerals referto like and corresponding parts `throughout the several views and in particular to the embodiment oi' the `invention disclosed in Pigs. l and 2,' the invention comprises fitting Il composedof two oppositely an alarm washer 22 at which point the electrical lead 25 /is soldered or otherwise permanently fixed to the contactor I8.

When the alarm `tting III is assembled as indicated in Fig.. 2, the ilow of fluid therethrough is inthe direction off-the arrow 21. It will be noted that the orifice `Il through the head I5 of the piston I3 is tapered with the smaller end thereof disposed at the Aouter `surface of.. the head Il of the said piston Il. This, in a measu'r# able degree, prevents clogging of the said orifice Il. The strength kof the compression spring Il and thesize of the orice I4 in the head I5 of the piston-'I3 [governs the pressure in a lubricant circulating system required tokmove the-piston I3 out volf contact with the contactor It.

'I'he embodiment of the invention h in Figs. 3, Land 5 is simiiarfin every respect to the' embodiment .of the invention 'IB disclosed in'.

Figs. l and 2 hereinbefore described. except, how-` ever, the contactarl Il is replaced by a contactar o i havinga plurality of apertures' I" therethrough located off center rather than on center as in the case ofY the central aperture I! through thel contacter i8. Furthermore, the contactar Ill'is provided with acentrally disposed conical protuberance 28 slightly smaller in diameter at `its base than the" orifice Il through the head II i of the piston I3 whichproiects through the said orifice' Il of the piston head I5 each time the piston head -I S-approaches` or makes contact with the contacter I8 whereby`to constantly `function f asa cleaning element for the orifice I4. The said protuberance 2l preferably is 'formed of a noncondutive material and'has a slightly tapered I, cylindical'stem 29 which is pressed tightly into disposed 55 a complementa rilyslightly tapered aperture pro m disclosed Avided to receive the same in the center oi the said contactorilas best shownin F155. l

As in the embodimentot the invention disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2. the strength of-the com-` pression spring I1 andthe size of the orice Il" inthe headllof the piston I3 of the'embodiment of the invention disclosed 4in Figs..3, 4 and 5 govern the pressure in a-lubricant circulating system required to move ther piston I3 thereof out of contact with the contactor |80.

` Fig. 5 discloses more' or less, diagrammaticallya method of causinga visual' alarm embodying the invention which indicates when oil is not, being circulated properly throughthe lubrication system thereof1 An engine 3II `having an oil pump 3| which circulates oil from the crank case of the engine through an oil line 32, to and through an oil filter 33 through an oil line 34 connected to an alarm fitting Ill whichin turn is threaded into the engine casting 30 at a point 2,273,394 intended to limit the scopeof the invention other than by the terms of the appended claims.I Iclaim;

l 1.An alarm fitting comprising twolopp'ositelydisposed interconnected vcouplingimembers each having alongitudinal passage therethrough, one- I coupling member' being externally threaded and whereioil under pressure is distributed through suitable bores and oil lines tofpoints requiring lubrication.

the internal combustion engine 30 under normalI pressure for which the compression spring I1 and orifice Il of the piston head Il of the alarm iltting is )designed maintains the piston head I5 oiI the 'contactor I8 thereof ancl keeps the alarm circuits hereinbfore described open unless the oil in the lubricating systemis circulated ata pressure below that whicnthe alarm iitting is designed, in which event, the piston head, I5 contacts the contactoril and causes the alarm Siafnal light 31 or the like to' become illuminated or sound, as the case may be.

having a cylinder formed therein communicating with the longitudinal bore therethrough, a piston reciprocatingly fitted in said cylinder having an orifice irf the head thereof, the other coupling member being internally threaded to accommodate the first-mentioned coupling member,'a

contact member tted lin insulated `relationship within said second-mentioned coupling` member including an electrical lead therefrominsulated with respect to the said second coupling member,

lthe said contact member-being disposedto' be contacted by said piston, spring means normally urging said piston into contact with said, contact member, the lcompressive strength of said spring vmeans and the size of the orifice through said piston being such as to establish a pre-determinedpressure flow through said fitting re-` quired to separate said contact and said piston therefor.

2. An ,alarm tting comprising two oppositely disposed interconnected coupling-members each having a 'cylinder formed therein communicating having a longitudinal vpassage therethrough, one couplingv member being externally threaded and .with thelongitudinal bore therethrough, a-piston obviouny, when thev ignman ditch at is tamed of! and the engine stops running, the alarm signal' 3l actuated bythe closing of the alarm circuit by the alarm fitting Il does not function.-

reciprocatingly fitted in said cylinder having a tapered orifice in the head thereof smaller at the face of the piston head than at the bottomof` `said h ead, the other couplig member being internally threaded to accommodate the first-mentioned coupling member, a contact member iitted in insulated relationship within said ,second-mentioned coupling member including an electrical lead therefrom linsulated with respect to the said second coupling member, the said contact memberbeing disposed to be contacted by said piston head, a protuberance on said contact member extending through said oriiice when said piston comes into contact' with said contact member,

Although but a single embodiment of the in- Nention has been disclosed and described in detail, it is to be understood that manychanges in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of thevarious parts, thereof may be vmade and that the novel method employed to accomplish the desired results may 'be\ altered, all

ithout departing l from the spirit of the, invention, and itis not spring means normally 4urging said piston linto contact with 'said contact member, the compressive strength of said spring `means and the size y of the orifice through said piston being such as tp establish a pre-determined pressure new .through said fitting required to separate sa contact and said piston therefor.

7 NORMAN M. coU'rY. 

